Thursday, February 12, 2009

Angola, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Malawi, and Togo

I wanted to group these five countries together because they have a lot of similarities pertaining to the Church. Each currently have 600-800 members, between 2-4 congregations and proselyting missionaries serving in them from around the world. All of these countries have not had the Church established for very long. Membership in 2000 for these countries was the following: Angola (510), Cameroon (155), Ethiopia (344), Malawi (274), and Togo (117). At the end of 2007, membership grew to the following: Angola (759), Cameroon (639), Ethiopia (784), Malawi (705), and Togo (733).

From what I could find, only Ethiopia and Togo have been dedicated for the preaching of the Gospel, which occurred rather recently (2004 and 2007 respectfully). Ethiopia was dedicated by Elder Nelson and Togo was dedicated by Elder Bednar. All of these countries do not have a district organized in them yet but likely to have their first districts organized in the next year or two I believe. Another similarity they all share is that each have added a new congregation in the past 18 months.

It will be exciting to see how the Gospel spreads in these nations. The conditions appear to mirror Mozambique six years ago when once membership reached 800, rapid growth took place bringing membership in the country to over 4,000 in 2007. Branches were greatly multiplied in the country from 5 to 16 during that time as well. For that reason I think it is likely that if any new missions are announced in the coming month or two (most missions of the Church are announced in late February/early March and organized in July), these countries would be prime candidates in Africa. Other African countries I see as likely to gain additional missions in the near future include the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Lubumbashi), Nigeria (Benin City), and South Africa (Port Elizabeth).

Stakes and Districts Discontinued in 2018

About Me

My interest in researching the growth of the LDS Church began in 2002. I began this blog in late 2007 to provide a forum to discuss LDS growth developments and share information. I have also worked for The Cumorah Foundation since 2009 providing research assistance and resource development on LDS growth and missionary work. Since this time I have been interviewed by various media organizations and have co-authored with David Stewart our comprehensive work Reaching the Nations: International Church Growth Almanac: 2014 Edition. I have a masters degree in psychology and a doctorate degree in clinical psychology.